WATCH HUSH UP AND HIBERNATE COME TO LIFE!

Here's a special chance to see how one of the illustrations for HUSH UP AND HIBERNATE! brought this story to life.

When you choose "play", you'll go right back to the beginning when the text inspired the idea for the illustration. You'll see the sketches that created the scene. Next, you'll see the colors begin to be added. The details follow. 

Notice what comes first, next, and so on.

When you compare the illustration to the finished spread in the book, look at one more thing. See how the artist Howard McWilliam planned, right from the start, for the text to become part of the scene. 

And here's the text to read as you enjoy the illustration come to life. 

Mama Bear grunts, "I guess we can eat 

a little longer before we sleep

away the winter." Side-by-side, they

munch chokecherries until a flock of geese flies past.

Mama Bear slowly lifts her big head and listens to their honking. 

HUSH UP AND HIBERNATE FUN!!!

HUSH UP and HIBERNATE! is a fun read aloud--read alone bedtime story. But the fun doesn't have to stop there. 

These activities can stretch the fun and sneak in a little creative thinking and discovery-learning.

BABY BEAR'S TURN!

Please, Mama!  




What if Baby Bear wanted Mama Bear to tell a story about an adventure she had as a cub, while he fell asleep? Make up the story Mama Bear told. 

Sneaky Baby Bear

Imagine Baby Bear didn't hibernate? What if Baby Bear sneaked out of the den and stayed awake all winter long? Make a list of ten things that happened in order--from what happened first to last. 

Sweet Dreams!

What if Baby Bear dreamed while hibernating? Tell what his dream was about?

One-Two-Three-SNORE

Baby Bear counted groups of animals to fall asleep.



What forest animals is Baby Bear counting when he sees these groups:

                [Answers below]
Gaggle of _____________
Pack of _______________
Romp of_______________
Prickle of _____________
Gang of ______________

Scurry of _____________

Leash of ______________
Murder of _____________
Parliament of __________
Knot of _______________

Answers: Geese, Wolves, Otters, Porcupines, Elk, Squirrels, Foxes, Crows, Owls, Toads

MAMA BEAR'S TURN!

How To Guide

Since Baby Bear doesn't want to hibernate, Mama Bear could get HOW TO SURVIVE THE WINTER advice from other animals. What would each of these animals tell her? 




[Click the link to discover more.] 

Caribou: "For me, it's all about finding food to eat after it snows. So I always do this when winter is coming."

Arctic Fox: "I can't risk being spotted by prey I hunt during the winter. So when winter is coming I have to make this change."

Chipmunk: "You can do what I do, no problem. But you have to have been working on this all summer and fall."



SHH! LISTEN!

To help Baby Bear go to sleep, Mama Bear reads these bedtime stories.

Bear Snores by Karma Wilson (Little Simon, 2005)

Bear's cave fills with animal friends while he sleeps.

The Bear Ate Your Sandwich by Julia Sarcone-Roach (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2015) Fun romp that tells what happens when Bear wakes up and smells a sandwich.

Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins (Disney-Hyperion, 2015)
When a bear's egg breakfast, turns into raising geese and teaching them how to migrate--even when it means traveling south with them for the winter.

And, of course, she reads...

Hush Up and Hibernate!

IT'S TRUE, BABY BEAR!

Mama Bear needs to prove to Baby Bear that, during the winter, food will be hard to eat--even if it's around. 

To do that, put a raisin into each section of an ice cube tray. Fill the tray with water and freeze.

Next, dump the raisin ice cubes onto a plastic plate. Add another batch of ice cubes with nothing inside.

Then it's Baby Bear's task to try and eat the raisins without eating any ice. CAN YOU FIGURE OUT how Baby Bear can get the raisins? 

Think of three different things Baby Bear could try to get the raisins. Decide which one has the best chance of working. 

Finally, work with an adult partner to test your idea. Or check with an adult partner to be sure what you want to try is safe for you to do. Then time how long it takes to get the raisins out of the ice cubes. And think whether what you did is likely to be possile for Baby Bear to do.  

So what happens to Baby Bear? How does the story end? 

And....

What happens to real baby bears when winter is on its way and it's time to hibernate?

There's only one way to find out. Click here to order a copy and READ IT!